Black Horse Cavalry: Defend Our Beloved Country

5052008

I received my autographed, limited edition (650/999) of Black Horse Cavalry: Defend Our Beloved Country by Lewis Marshall Helm a couple of weeks ago.You’ll recall from my earlier posts here and here that I ordered this book from Don Hackenson’s websitein large part because it contains a passage credited to Brigadier General William Payne regarding the meaning of the name Black Horse Cavalry.I was happy to find that the book is footnoted (though very unevenly) and that the citation for the passage in question is indeed a March 29, 1903 article in the Richmond News.If you have access to Richmond News archives and can get me a copy of the article, I’ll reimburse your expenses (copying and postage).

By the way, I’ve seen this book listed from various sources for as much as $75.Don’s site has the book for sale at its original price.It’s a hard cover book with dust jacket, 302 pages including a roster, with lots of illustrations.Mr. Helm is a descendant of several members of the troop, and I have reservations about unit histories and biographies written by descendants in general, but if you’re one of those folks who just has to have every Confederate regimental, drop Don a note.

Dulce bellum inexpertis

“I am sending you these little incidents as I hear them well authenticated. They form, to the friends of the parties, part of the history of the glorious 21st. More anon.”

About

Hello! I’m Harry Smeltzer and welcome to Bull Runnings, where you'll find my digital history project on the First Battle of Bull Run which is organized under the Bull Run Resources section. I'll also post my thoughts on the processes behind the project and commentary on the campaign, but pretty much all things Civil War are fair game. You'll only find musings on my “real job” or my personal life when they relate to this project. My mother always told me "never discuss politics or religion in mixed company”, and that's sound advice where current events are concerned.

The Project

This site is more than a blog. Bull Runnings also hosts digitized material pertaining to First Bull Run. In the Bull Run Resources link in the masthead and also listed below are links to Orders of Battle, After Action Reports, Official Correspondence, Biographical Sketches, Diaries, Letters, Memoirs, Newspaper Accounts and much, much more. Take some time to surf through the material. This is a work in process with no end in sight, so check back often!